4 Ways to Lie
by Riana Salvatore
Summary: On the night of the sleepover, what if Alison was the one that made it back and Spencer was the one who went missing? How would that change things for her, Aria, Hanna, and Emily?
1. Prologue

Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Emily Fields, and Spencer Hastings all sat inside of Spencer's family barn. It was really more of a tool shed that wasn't actually used for storing tools. The girls were having a sleepover with their friend Alison DiLaurentis, who hadn't arrived yet. It was Labor Day weekend and they were about to start their Sophomore Year of high school. They were having drinks and listening to 3OH3's _Don't Trust Me_ when suddenly the music stopped and the power went out. They heard the sound of breaking glass and walked toward the door with Aria holding a flashlight.

"Boo!" Alison replied as she jumped out and caused the other girls to jump as well.

"That's so not funny, Alison." Spencer chided her.

"It's not my fault you girls scare so easily." Ali replied. Alison was the textbook example of a beautiful girl. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes to match. She stood 5'5. Though she had a bit of a mean streak, she was pretty loyal to her friends.

Hanna had the same hair and eye color as Ali and was even the same height. Though, she was at least 15 pounds heavier. She kind of felt that she didn't fit in with the rest of her beautiful friends. Alison had a bit of habit of making fun of her weight, but Hanna just saw it as motivation. She had lost about 20 pounds since they first became friends and she was getting closer to her goal of looking as good as everyone else.

Aria was the shortest of the group, standing at 5'2". She had very dark brown hair with pink streaks in it and hazel eyes. Her clothes reflected a Goth style. She was the artistic one of the group. Despite her dark exterior, she was actually pretty nice.

Emily was the tallest of the girls at 5'8. Unlike the rest of the girls, she was mixed race. Her father was Asian and her mother was white. She was the athletic one, a star swimmer. She was also the only one in a stable relationship with her boyfriend Ben, despite the fact that she also seemed when she was around him.

And finally, there was Spencer. She was 5'6 with brown hair and brown eyes. She was probably from the most affluent family in all of Rosewood. Not only were both of her parents star attorneys, but her sister actually graduated valedictorian from both high school and Penn. She was something of a know-it-all. If the girls were _Harry Potter_ characters, she would definitely be Hermione.

"So, Ali, did you download the new Beyoncé song yet?" Hanna asked.

"Not yet." Ali answered.

"I am loving her _Single Ladies _video." Emily commented.

"Maybe a little too much, Em." Alison teased. She handed the cup of beer to Aria. "Your turn, drink up."

Aria took a gulp.

"Careful, Aria, drink too much and you'll tell us all your secrets." Spencer teased which caused all of the girls to laugh.

"It's good that we have secrets." Ali replied. "That's what keeps us close."

Aria then took another sip.

Early that morning, before the sun was up, Aria woke up to find Hanna and Emily sleeping in the barn with her, but Spencer and Ali were nowhere in sight. She quickly woke the other two.

"Where's Ali and Spencer?" Hanna asked.

"We don't know." Aria admitted. She then got up to see Alison walking in. "Spencer?"

"She's gone." Alison told the other girls.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Aria asked in confusion as well as fear.

"I've looked everywhere for her." Ali explained. "I wasn't able to find her. I think I heard a scream."

A year later, a newspaper was thrown onto the sidewalk with Spencer's picture on it and a headline that read 'Still Missing'.

So this is just to see if there's any interest in this. It's always been the dynamic of the four girls but what if Ali was there instead of Spencer? This will obviously change some things around, which you'll see if another chapter is posted. So if you're interested, you'll need to review.


	2. Pilot

Aria stared at her room. It was mostly covered in boxes. It was the end of the summer and her family had just returned to Rosewood after spending a year in Iceland. She never quite understood why her dad chosen Iceland, but it was pretty much cold all of the time. As a result, she didn't really have many summer clothes. It didn't get too warm in Pennsylvania, but she was glad that she didn't need to be bundled up all of the time. She had also removed the streaks from her hair and was now a sold brunette. She couldn't help but stare at herself in the mirror.

"Aria, are you okay?" Her mother, Ella, asked.

"It's weird to be home." The teenager commented as she began to look around the room.

"It's been a year." Ella reminded her. "When you're 16, that's a long time."

"I still think about her every day." Aria added.

"Why don't you call your friends?" Ella suggested. "They don't know that you're back from Dad's sabbatical."

"You know on the news, they're calling it the anniversary of Spencer's disappearance." Aria stated. "They're acting like it's a party or something. Can you believe that?"

"You should call." Ella repeated. "You five were inseparable. Those feelings don't just go away."

"I need a ride to lacrosse." Aria's brother Mike interrupted.

"I'll take him." Aria volunteered.

Mike began to look for his stuff which led them to the same room as Byron, the patriarch of the family. He was a college professor at Hollis. Ella left with Mike to look and Byron went over to Aria.

"I know coming back here brings back a lot of memories." Byron started.

"Dad, I'm still keeping your secret." Aria interrupted. She really didn't want to be having that conversation.

"I was talking about Spencer." Byron finished. She didn't say anything and went out the door with Mike.

Aria drove to the school and dropped Mike off.

"Hey what time am I picking you up?" She asked her brother as he got out.

"Six?" Mike guessed.

"Alright, I'm going to go get dinner." She stated before she drove away. She ended up at Hollis Bar and Grill.

"Can I get a veggie burger please?" She asked the bartender. The place was pretty empty. It was just her and some guy in his early to mid-twenties. She sighed and listened to the music before she noticed Spencer's 'Missing' poster on the bulletin board.

"You alright down there?" Said guy asked her.

"I'm a bit jetlagged." Aria admitted. "I just got back from Europe."

"Where in Europe?" He asked as he read his book before he looked at her.

"Iceland." She answered, also looking at him. He had a boyish charm and curly brown hair.

"I spent some time in Reykjavik before I went to Amsterdam." He told her. "It's a great city."

She for a moment wondered why she was conversing with a stranger, but decided to continue because he was cute.

"So do you go to Hollis?" She asked.

"Just graduated." He answered. "I'm about to start my first teaching job."

"Yeah, I think I'd like to teach." She remarked. "God, I love this song."

"What's your major?" He then asked. He seemed to have the assumption that she was a college student. She decided to play along because she would probably never see him again.

"I'm leaning toward English." She improvised.

"That's what I'm teaching." He explained with a laugh.

"And I write too." She added. "But so far it's mostly personal stuff. Only a few people have ever seen it."

"Well I'd love to see some time." He declared as he moved to the seat next to her. "I tried writing and I kind of suck at it."

"You'd really want to?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, you're smart, you've traveled, and you have a great taste in music. I'd like to know more about you."

That led to the two of them making out in the bathroom.

Hanna was in the Rosewood Mall, trying on sunglasses. Over the year, she had lost the weight that she planned on losing and was now a self-proclaimed vision of hotness.

"Can I see the Pradas in the front?" She asked.

"Hey is this me?" Her friend Mona Vanderwal asked. Mona was a fellow ugly duckling turned swan, but in Mona's case, she was more a _She's All That_ type, as she only needed a makeover.

"It's a little too your mother." Hanna commented as she tried on the new pair.

"I am loving those glasses." Mona complimented. "How much?"

"350." Hanna answered. She then looked across the mall and noticed Alison was in another store, looking over clothes. She turned to the clerk, telling him she'd be right back while still wearing the shades.

"So I guess Alison DiLaurentis is finally back in the outside world." Hanna remarked.

Alison frowned. Of the four girls, her year was probably the hardest. A lot of the blame on Spencer's disappearance went on her, since she wasn't with the others when they woke up. Her reputation took a huge and rumors spiraled that she was really the one that blinded Jenna Marshall. It was true, but she wouldn't admit it. Once the queen of the freshmen class at Rosewood High, Alison had fallen off her pedestal. And there were also the fights with Hanna and Emily after Aria left. She was an outcast. Hanna had sort of taken her place at the top. Over the summer, it became too much and she suffered a breakdown, culminating in her spending a month at Radley Sanitarium

"So is the story true?" Hanna asked. "Were you really in the nuthouse over the summer?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, Han." Ali replied. "But this past year has been hard on me. Did you see the paper today?"

"Yeah." Hanna said as she nodded.

"She's gone but she's everywhere." Ali commented. "I have to say, even though it's twisted, I'm kind of jealous of all of the attention she's getting."

"I can't believe it's been a year." Hanna added.

"You know, I think I was wrong." Ali declared. "Our secrets didn't keep us close. They drove us apart."

"So, what's the occasion?" Hanna asked, trying to go for a less depressing subject.

"Jason's bringing his new roommate over for dinner." Alison explained. "Well actually there have been some plumbing issues, so they're staying over."

"Is he normal?" Hanna asked.

"Well he's a med student, so my father is thrilled, being a doctor." Alison stated as she went toward the dresser.

"Are you sure that's the right top?" Hanna asked.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day you were giving me fashion advice." Alison commented as Hanna handed her a top.

"See you on the playground." Hanna remarked.

"See you." Alison reciprocated.

Hanna then began to walk out. She walked past the mall cop, before he stopped her, but only to give her handbag to her. She smiled as she met with Mona.

"Nice scarf." She told her friend.

"Nice glasses." Mona replied. "So what were you doing talking to her?"

"I was just being friendly." Hanna responded.

"But she made my life hell." Mona reminded her.

"And now she's been through it." Hanna pointed out. "Now even she deserved all that she got. She had to go to the loony bin."

The next day, Byron took Aria and Mike to school. Mike was quick to get out, but Aria took a little longer.

"See you good luck." Byron told Mike. He turned to Aria. "Hey wait up."

"It's the first day. I don't wanna be late." Aria told him.

"I love you." Byron told her. "And you know that I love your mom too."

"Do you?" Aria challenged.

"I made a mistake." Byron admitted. "I will be sorry about it for the rest of my life. I just hope that someday you'll be able to forgive me."

"I hope so too." Aria declared.

She then thought back to a time that she was with Spencer and the two of them caught him kissing one of his students.

"Aria?" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Emily." Aria greeted her as she turned around.

"When did you get back?" Emily asked in surprise before she gave the shorter girl a hug. Aria returned the hug.

"Yesterday." Aria answered.

"I almost didn't recognize you without the pink streaks." Emily teased. "You should have called. It's just so weird running into you."

"We kind of lost touch, Emily, remember?" Aria reminded her.

"That's what we had to do." Emily stated.

"I saw a poster of Spencer yesterday." Aria mentioned.

"It's awful." Emily said. "I mean we all know she's dead, right?"

"I've just never heard anyone say it." Aria replied as the bell rang.

"So I hear the new teacher is really hot." Emily claimed as they walked into the room. Aria smiled as they took their seats.

Hanna then walked into the room and Aria was shocked to see how good she looked. She was followed by Mona, who Aria was equally shocked to see.

"If Hanna's the It Girl, what happened to…" Aria started before the aforementioned blonde walked in. There were immediately whispers around the room.

"It's not a good story." Emily stated. "Spencer's disappearance was really hard on her. None of us are really close anymore."

The teacher then walked in and wrote Mr. Fitz on the board before he turned to look at the class and caught eyes with Aria.

"Holy Crap." He stated. Aria recognized him as the same guy from the bar and suddenly all eyes were on her. Her phone then went off and she silenced it and checked the message.

"_Maybe student-teacher relationships run in the family, huh Aria? - S." _It read. It was from a blocked number but she couldn't help but wonder if S stood for Spencer.

Emily was at home while her mom was preparing a gift basket for the new owners of Hastings house. They had a short conversation before she made her way over. A lot of Spencer's things were outside, including her old field hockey stick.

"You can have any of that stuff." A blonde girl about equal height to her said as she walked toward her. "I'm Samara Cook."

"I'm Emily." The other girl replied. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks." Samara replied as she looked over the contents. "That stuff was in my room. You can have anything you want."

"It all belonged to Spencer." Emily stated.

"Is she a friend of yours?" The blonde asked. "I'm assuming she's a girl because of this stuff."

"She was." Emily declared. "Have you really not heard the story about this house?"

"Oh, she must be the girl that disappeared." Samara replied. There then was a brief silence "Anyway, can I ask you to help me move some stuff?"

"Sure, I don't mind." Emily replied with a smile.

"So were you and Spencer close?" Samara asked as they carried some stuff into Spencer's old room which was currently Samara's.

"Yeah, there were five of us." Emily explained. "Now I should be able to ask you something."

"Okay, go ahead." Samara responded.

Emily noticed a picture of her and a girl holding each other close. "Okay, is this one of your friends from where you used to live?"

"That's actually my ex-girlfriend." Samara stated.

"Oh…" Emily replied, coming to a realization.

"I hope you don't think I was flirting with you." Samara replied. "You don't hate me now, do you?"

"No, it's fine." Emily stated. "But I do have a boyfriend. His name is Ben and he's a swimmer like me."

Emily looked outside to see some construction.

"My dad is a small time record producer." Samara explained. "They're building a studio."

"Do you sing?" Emily asked.

"No, but my mom does." Samara replied. "That is actually how the two of them met."

Alison went home to find Jason's car in the driveway. Her brother was never really someone that she got along with. He did ease up on her when she was going through her issues before he moved out, though he was still kind of ass.

She then noticed a cute guy that definitely wasn't her brother.

"You must be Jason's roommate." She said.

"And you must be his sister." The man replied with a British accent. To her, that only added to his hotness. "I'm Wren Kingston."

"Alison…DiLaurentis, obviously." She introduced. "So I heard that you are a med student."

Jason then came downstairs.

"Stop flirting with my roommate." He scolded her. He then turned to Wren. "She's 16 by the way."

"Must you ruin my fun?" Ali asked her brother.

That night, she was outside and caught him smoking.

"A doctor who smokes, well look at that." She stated as she was reading _To Kill A Mockingbird _for Mr. Fitz's class.

"Well it's not something that your parents need to know about." Wren commented.

"Please, Jason used to smoke pot all the time." Alison scoffed.

"Well he told me something about you." He stated. "I don't know if it's true or I'm supposed to know, but he said that had a stay in Radley Sanitarium over the summer."

"I am going to kill him." She declared. "But yes it's true. We're late for dinner."

Across town, Aria walked into the classroom of the same English teacher who she kissed the night before.

"You told me that you went to Hollis." He stated.

"No, I said that I was thinking of majoring in English." She corrected him. "That happens to be true."

"Look, I think you're amazing, Aria." He told her. "When I first met you, I thought 'Who is this girl?'"

"I'm still that girl." She remarked putting her hand on his. "Nothing has changed here."

"Well that's the fact you're a minor and also my student." He pointed out.

"I know it's not just me." Aria stated. "You feel like this is right for us too, Ezra."

"That's not that important." Ezra told her. "We can't do this."

The next day, Emily walked with Samara toward her house.

"You know what sucks about moving across the country is I couldn't drive my Jeep and it won't get here until tomorrow." Samara commented. "Thanks for walking with me. I'll make sure to give you a ride whenever you need it."

"It's okay. Practice doesn't start until 4:00." Emily replied before she noticed a garbage truck picking up Spencer's things.

"Are you okay?" Samara asked.

"I used to think by not talking about her, I would be okay." Emily declared. "I guess I was wrong."

"Well if you ever want to talk about it, I'm available." Samara offered. "I mean I'm no therapist, but I'm a great listener."

The two shared a moment that looked like it could lead to a kiss, but nothing happened and Emily left for practice.

After practice and a shower, she went to her locker in the locker room. She noticed Ali in her field hockey uniform. It made her the girl think of Spencer, who had taught Ali how to play the game.

"So I saw you with Aria yesterday." The blonde noted. "Are you two hanging out again?"

"Not really." Emily replied. "Are you okay?"

"If one more person asks me that I'm going to scream." Ali snapped. It seems to scare the other girl. "Sorry, I just get tired of hearing people ask me that question. I'm better now. I promise you."

Emily then found a note. She unfolded it and read it.

"_I thought you only kissed Ali, Em. - S" _It read. She couldn't help but think it was from Spencer. She had told her about said kiss in confidence. Ali noticed that she looked distressed.

"Is everything okay, Em?" She asked. Emily crumpled up the note.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emily told her.

Ali left the locker room and headed home and changed into her bikini. She wanted to head into the hot tub. Jason was out shopping and her mom was with him, probably to make sure that he didn't buy drugs from someone. She noticed he was in a swimsuit and obviously shirtless. He looked even better without it on.

"Wow your hot tub is amazing." He commented. "I may not want to ever leave."

She laughed and smiled. She probably wouldn't mind that.

"So can I borrow that towel?" He asked.

"Sure." She replied as she nursed her shoulder.

"Tough day at school?" He asked.

"Tough field hockey practice." She told him.

"I rowed for Oxford." He stated. "May I?"

"You definitely may." She told him as he began to rub her shoulder. Jason or her parents would probably flip if they saw that scene, even though it was innocent. Fortunately, she heard Jason entered and quickly exited.

That night, she was in her room reading some more. Her laptop told her that she had a new email.

"_Got a crush on another of your brother friends, eh Ali? –S" It read. _There was no send address. She wanted to reply and asked if it was Spencer. Spencer knew that had kissed Spencer's sister's ex-boyfriend Ian, who happened to be one of Jason's friends.

Emily made her way to Aria's house and the two sat on the porch swing together.

"I'm sorry for just stopping by." Emily apologized.

"It's fine." Aria told her. "You're welcome any time. Well probably as long as it's before 10."

"Somebody left a note in my locker." Emily remarked.

"From S?" Aria asked. "Do you think it's her?"

"Well it's something that Spencer knew." Emily stated.

"What did she know?" Aria asked.

"It's kind of a secret." Emily told her.

"Well yeah, the thing I got is a secret that Spencer knew too." Aria agreed. "But, if she's alive, why doesn't she just come forward and talk to us about this stuff?

"Should we tell someone?" Emily suggested.

"I don't think I can." Aria responded. "I'd like this to stay a secret."

Hanna was at home while her mom put takeout onto a plate for her.

"You know I saw Ella Montgomery today." Her mother stated. "Why didn't you tell me Aria was back?"

"We're not really friends anymore." Hanna said as she sat at the table and noticed a message from Alison saying that they needed to talk. The doorbell rang and she went to answer it. It was a police officer and a man in a suit.

"Hanna Marin?" The suited man asked as he took out his badge. Apparently he was a detective.

"Yes." She replied.

"Is your mother home?" He then asked.

"What's going on?" Ashley questioned.

"We received a call from Rosewood Mall Security." The detective replied. "We have your daughter on tape shoplifting a pair of sunglasses."

"That can't be right." Ashley argued.

"I don't think so." The detective told her. He looked to Hanna. "Could you turn around?"

She did so and he cuffed her.

She wound up at the station while her mom talked to the detective. She sat and looked at the candy, but before she could have some, her phone beeped.

"_Shoplifting, Han, really? I thought you knew better. -S" _The message read. She freaked out and dropped the candy. Was that from Spencer?

Suddenly she noticed that everyone seemed to be leaving the station at once. Her mom took her out.

Emily was walking home when an ambulance raced by. She ran and it ended up at Samara's house.

"Samara?" She replied as she gave the blonde a hug. "I was about to call you."

"What's going on?" Emily asked.

"They found Spencer." Samara told her slowly and tenderly. Emily lit up.

"I knew she was back." Emily declared.

"No, Emily, they found Spencer's body." Samara explained.

Almost instantly, all four girls were at the scene. Aria was in her car when she noticed Alison looking on in shock.

"I heard the cops took Hanna to the police station." Aria remarked.

"I hope she didn't talk about…" Alison started before she was interrupted.

"No I didn't say anything about the Jenna thing." Hanna told them. "We were all there. We made a promise."

After she went, Hanna watched the newscast while she chowed on Ben and Jerry's. She then noticed her mom walk in with the detective and saw something almost as horrifying as what she just witnessed.

A few days later, pretty much everyone in town was at the local church for the funeral, plus the Hastings family.

"Was she a friend of yours?" Ezra asked Aria inside.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"The whole town is here." He pointed out. "I don't know what I feel worse about: having to stay away from you, or being a jerk about it."

"Yes she was one of my best friends, possibly my overall best." Aria told him as she began to walk away.

"I'm sorry." He told her.

"For Spencer or for being a jerk?" She questioned.

"Both." He answered.

"I would never want to do anything to get you in trouble." She said as she took a few steps. He then grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss.

She then walked into the chapel and saw Mrs. Hastings. The woman gave her a hug before she seated her with Emily, Hanna, and Alison. She stared at the coffin, which was closed and had a moment where she wanted to open it, just to make sure that Spencer was in there. Hanna pulled her into her seat. She then heard her phone ring and checked her text and the other girls all tensed up.

"Anyone we know?" Hanna asked.

"It's just my mom." Aria told them. "Emily and I aren't the only ones who got messages from S, are we?"

Ali then heard whispered and looked behind her to see Jenna Marshall walking with her stepbrother Toby. She was blind as a bat.

"Oh crap." She cursed quietly.

"I didn't know you girls were friends with Jenna Marshall." Mrs. Hastings told them. They could say more and didn't want to.

After the service, the four walked out together.

"Emily." The same detective called. "Alison, Aria, and Hanna."

"Do we know you?" Ali asked.

"I'm Detective Wilden from the Rosewood PD." He stated. "I understand you were all good friends with Spencer."

"Yeah we were." Aria stated.

"I'm going to need to talk to each of you." Wilden told them.

Alison tensed up. She didn't think that she could stand being accused again.

"We already talked to the police when Spencer went missing." Emily replied.

"I intend to go over every one of your statements." Wilden explained. "But that was a missing person's case. This is a murder. Rest assured I will found out what you did last summer."

He walked away and they noticed Jenna get in the car.

"Do you think he knows about…" Ali asked.

"No how could he?" Aria replied. Suddenly all four of their phones went off at once.

"Oh my god." Hanna remarked. "I'm still here, bitches."

"And I know everything." All four of them read at once.

So as you can see, Alison is deeply scarred and nowhere near the girl that she once was. Also she has a thing for Wren. All girls love Wren. And Samara moved into Spencer's house. I don't like Maya and she probably won't show up. Anyway, don't forget to review.


	3. The Jenna Thing

Immediately after the funeral, the four girls sat in a café. They were all very nervous. They all were sure that there was no one that this S couldn't be Spencer because they had just come back from her funeral.

"Why was Jenna there?" Aria asked.

"Maybe she's back." Emily suggested.

"The cop acted like we were suspects or something." Hanna stated.

"He probably thought that we looked guilty." Ali remarked.

"Why would any of us have done anything wrong?" Aria questioned.

"We did die about the Jenna thing." Hanna pointed out.

"Han, stop talking about it." Ali demanded. "We could all get in a lot of trouble if people found out the truth. It didn't happen. Toby lit the garage on fire, not any of us."

"How can we just forget?" Aria asked. "I still wake up in the middle of the night."

"Aria, it was an accident." Alison argued. "We didn't know that Jenna was in there."

"I don't get it." Emily stated. "How does S know something that I only told Spencer?"

She looked at Ali for a second somewhat apologetically.

"Don't look at me." Alison replied. "I may know every secret, but I would never tell anyone. You girls are my friends, even with everything that's happened in the past year. I wouldn't tell my shrink at Radley because I felt if I did, I would have been there a lot longer, but I can say that Spencer knew a few things about me that no one else did and I know something about her."

"What is it?" Aria asked.

"Spencer was seeing someone, but I never found out who it was." Ali admitted.

"Why did Spencer not want us to know? Aria asked. "She was never the secretive type or anything. It seems weird for her."

"I think he was older and also had a girlfriend." Ali responded. "At first I thought it was my brother, but then I found out something that made me sure it wasn't."

"That's only half a secret." Hanna declared.

"It's more than any of you know." Ali replied.

"You know keeping secrets from each other has never been good." Aria replied.

"Well maybe we'll never hear from this person again." Alison suggested. She then noticed a bracelet on Emily's wrist. "You still wear yours."

"Well it's something that you gave all of us." Emily explained. "I'm surprised you took yours off. You wore it all of last year."

"After the summer, I thought our friendship would be permanently over, so I took it off." Alison replied as she reached into her purse and pulled out a bracelet that said 'Alison' on it. "You know when Spencer didn't come home, I knew something was wrong. I just wanted to be strong, but that doesn't mean that I didn't cry, even though I was hoping that she would come back."

"I was thinking that she had enough of her crazy family and had just run off." Aria declared. "I mean you know the kind of pressure she had on her."

They all laughed before they heard the sounds of a walking stick as Jenna walked in and all suddenly froze up. They decided that was the time for them to walk away.

The next day, Hanna was at home, getting ready for school. Her mom came downstairs and finished off the milk. Hanna looked in the mirror to make sure that she looked fabulous before she left. She then heard Wilden talking on the TV and tensed up. It was bad that he was screwing her mom, but that he was also investigating Spencer's murder was not something she could handle. Ashley quickly turned the TV off.

"Are you okay to go to school?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hanna responded.

"Try to remember Spencer for the good times, not the bad ones." Ashley suggested.

"I'm really sorry, Mom." Hanna apologized.

"For what?" Ashley asked in surprise.

"For the cop coming over." Hanna clarified.

"It's over, okay." Ashley stated as she walked away. "We won't be seeing him again."

Hanna touched up her makeup one more time before they left.

Aria was also with her mom, eating breakfast, her completely vegan dress.

"I had to look twice to make sure that was Hanna." Ella stated.

"I know right?" Aria responded.

"That was some dress. Her mother didn't get that from Curvy Girl." Ella added.

"Who shops at Curvy Girl?" Byron asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"No one, anymore." Ella answered. "Do you not have time for breakfast?"

"No, and I'm going to be late tonight." Byron added.

"Late nights already?" Ella questioned. "We just got here."

"Yeah, what's that about?" Aria inquired.

"What's it about?" Byron countered. "I've been gone for a year and now I'm playing catch up. I have faculty meetings and have to change my curriculum and meet with students."

"Maybe family should manage to come first." Aria replied cryptically. He glared at her, but said nothing. "I'm going to be late. I love you."

"What was that about?" Ella asked. "You guys were getting along so well when we were away. I don't get it."

"Well she's a teenage girl, Ella." Byron stated. "They're all moody and unpredictable."

Emily was sitting on her porch reading when Samara walked up to her.

"So, are you okay?" Samara asked. "Wait, of course you're not. Don't answer that. I considered going to the funeral, but I felt that I didn't deserve to be there."

"I understand." Emily responded. "It might have been weird if you were there?"

"Can I have some of that?" The blonde questioned as she pointed to Emily's coffee.

"Sure." Emily replied as she handed the cup over. "You look tired."

"It's not easy living in a house where a body was discovered in the backyard." Samara stated. "Then there are the people keep coming over. I want to tell them that my house is not a memorial, but I can't just turn grievers away. And then there are the posters."

"Someone should take the posters down." Emily declared. "It hurts seeing them up since she's gone."

"You know I'm sorry." Samara replied. "If there is anything that I can do to make you feel better, just name it."

The blonde then wrapped her in a hug. That was right as Emily's mom came back from her jog.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Mom, this is Samara Cook." Emily introduced.

"Hey." Samara remarked as she held out her hand.

"I've heard about you." Pam remarked. "I would say welcome to the neighborhood, but I can't."

"It's hard when the police are in your backyard." Emily replied.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable, like I'm a stranger in my own home." Samara admitted.

"She's having some trouble sleeping." Emily added.

"You know you can spend a few days here." Pam offered. "Everything should cool down by then. You can sleep in Emily's room."

Emily wondered if her mom would say the same thing if she knew about Samara's ex, but she didn't say anything.

Alison was practicing for field hockey. She realized that she wasn't quite up to form at the last practice and needed to be better if she didn't want to be moved to the bench. She figured that succeeding at field hockey was a good way to honor Spencer's memory.

"Nice." Emily commented. "Alison DiLaurentis, athlete, is a bit surprising. So I hear you're aiming for first string this year."

"I want to do this." Ali admitted. "I need to something to raise my social standing."

"Ali, this is Samara." Emily introduced. "You may have noticed that she lives next door to you."

"I tried to not to pay attention to it, honestly." Alison admitted. "I'm sorry that I never introduced myself or anything."

"I get it." Samara replied.

"Samara and I are looking for some coffee." Emily explained. "Do you what to join us?"

"I actually don't drink coffee anymore." Alison replied. "Especially since Spencer was the biggest coffee-holic in the world. Plus I really need to practice, because I'm a little behind."

"You know she seems…off." Samara commented.

"She's been through a lot this past year." Emily explained. "She used to be the most popular girl in the freshman class."

Ezra was walking the halls when he came across Aria in the hallway. It wasn't unusually by any chance, but the fact that it was her, surprised him.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course." He replied.

"I'd like to transfer out of your class." Aria stated. That shocked him a little.

"Can you come inside?" He requested. They walked into his classroom. "I understand where you're coming from. I just wish that you could stay in the class because from an academic standpoint, you're a great student."

"This isn't an easy decision." Aria admitted. "But I feel like it's the right thing to do."

"I can keep my feelings in check." He told her. "I was just surprised you were so young."

"I can't." Aria replied. "And I don't want anyone to suspect anything. I don't want to keep my feelings in check either. It's too hard to sit in this room and call you _Mr. Fitz. _I can't prepare that I don't have feelings for you."

She handed him a form, asking him to sign it.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. She nodded in response and he signed it before she thanked him and left the room.

Later, Hanna was in the hallway with Mona.

"Okay, I am all for boobjobs, but when I see those I wanna moo." Mona commented.

"Be nice." Hanna teased.

"I spy Sean." Mona then remarked. Sean was Hanna's boyfriend…her heavily Christian boyfriend. She walked over to him.

Speaking of boyfriends, Emily's boyfriend Ben greeted her at her locker with a kiss.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

"You startled me." Emily admitted.

"Are we still on for the movie?" Ben asked. Emily frowned. She had forgotten about that.

"My mom invited Samara to stay with us." She told him.

"You know I'd be okay coming over if you let me watch." Ben joked. Emily looked shocked. "It was a joke, just because you have a gay friend doesn't make you gay. I'll see you at practice."

Suddenly the intercom asked for her, Aria, Alison, and Hanna to come to the office.

Aria opened her phone to a message from S reading 'Dead girls walking.'

The four of them found Wilden in the office. He looked to Alison.

"So let's see, you thought you heard her scream." Wilden replied.

"I said that I heard _a _scream." Alison corrected.

"And when you three woke up, Spencer and Alison were gone?" He asked the three.

"Yes, I woke up first and noticed that she was gone." Alison remarked. "So I went looking for her."

"So what was this? Some kind of slumber party?" Wilden questioned

"Are you interrogating us?" Alison asked.

"No it's just a follow-up." Wilden replied. "Why did you all fall asleep?"

"It was late at night and we were tired." Aria answered. "That's what people do around then."

"Right…" Wilden responded. "Is that how you remember it Hanna?"

Hanna nodded.

"We've told you everything and frankly I don't want to be accused again." Ali replied. "I don't know if you know the kind of damage that your department caused me over the past year, but I might just sue if I'm falsely accused again."

"Well here's the thing." Wilden replied. "You're saying the same things that you said last year. It seems rehearsed and suing wouldn't be a good idea unless you were cleared."

"Like Ali said, we've told you everything." Aria piped in.

At lunch, the four girls sat together for the first time since freshman year.

"He knows we're lying." Aria stated.

"Lying is not a crime." Hanna argued.

"Giving false statements is. It's called obstruction of justice." Alison explained. "Which is why we can't let him know that they're false."

"We lied about drinking. It's a misdemeanor." Hanna responded. "The truth is we don't know anything about what happened to Spencer that night."

"We knew someone that might have wanted to go after us." Aria admitted.

"We should told the police the truth about Jenna's accident." Emily remarked.

"I wanted to." Hanna reminded them.

"Look, it was a mistake. I didn't know that she was in there until it was too late." Ali replied. "If we tell the police all that will happen is us getting sent to Juvie. It won't make her see. What's done is done okay girls."

As soon as she finished talking they heard Jenna walking into the lunchroom.

"Oh my God, she's back in school too?" Hanna asked in disbelief.

Aria got up and walked over to her.

"Jenna? Hey it's Aria." She said. "Do you want to sit with us?"

"Sure, thank you." Jenna replied as Aria took her tray and led her to the table.

"So you're gonna be between Hanna and Emily and Ali is right across from you." Aria explained.

The girls, especially Ali, looked nervous. Aria pulled up a chair for her.

"So would this would be where Spencer sits, right?" Jenna asked.

"No, we don't sit there anymore." Aria answered.

"So Ali, I want to thank you coming to visit me. Did you know that Spencer came just after you left?" Jenna asked. Hanna, Aria, and Emily looked surprised since they hadn't known that.

"I mean I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Ali responded quickly. "I mean I couldn't believe that Toby did that to you. So when did you get back? I thought you were in Philadelphia at school for the blind."

"I was feeling homesick and I wanted to come back here." Jenna replied. "I also felt that I deserved the same education as everyone else and wasn't going to let the fact that I can't see stop me. Wow you girls are so quiet. Freshman year, this was everyone wanted to sit."

_All four girls thought back to the 4__th__ of July 2009. They were trying on clothes with Spencer. Alison saw someone watching. Alison assumed it was Toby Cavanaugh. They all went to the garage and Alison threw a stink bomb inside. She didn't realize Jenna was in there until it was too late and then decided to run for it, hoping Jenna hadn't seen her. The whole garage went up in flames. _

Suddenly all four of their phones went off at once.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Jenna asked as she gave Ali her phone. They all had the same message.

"_So many guilty faces…good thing that she can't see- S" _The message read.

After lunch the girls went to Ezra's class. Mona walked in late and called Mr. Fritz before taking her seat.

"If the mockingbird represents innocence, which characters are innocent?" He asked. Ali had her phone on silent as she got another text. Of course it was from S.

"_I know someone who's not innocent.-S." _It said.

At that time, Aria walked in. Her form had DECLINED stamped on it.

After school, Hanna was doing homework with Sean. She got up to refill his soda and then kissed his neck.

"Hanna…" He interrupted.

"What?" Hanna questioned.

"It's too hard to stop if we go there." Sean replied.

"It's just us here." Hanna argued. She tried to touch him all over before he stopped her. She took a seat in disappointment. "You do like me like that, don't you? I mean you think I am attractive, right?"

"Yes." He answered.

"I just feel like sometimes you only think of me as your friend." She remarked. "The girl I used to be."

He gave her a chaste kiss.

"Do you kiss your friends like that?" He challenged.

"No." Hanna replied.

"Look I like the girl you used to be and I like the girl you are now." Sean told her.

"Is this waiting thing something that you want to do or is it just because of your dad?" Hanna questioned.

"It's my choice." He said as Ashley walked in. Hanna was now glad that the moment hadn't turned. "Hi, Mrs. Marin."

Ashley finished her call before she acknowledged him.

"Hi. How's the studying going?" She asked.

"Fine." Hanna responded.

"Sean." Ashley started as he looked at her. "Please tell your dad that we have been trying to make it to church. "But I've been working on the weekends…"

"Oh, it's no problem." Sean interrupted. "I'll let him know, but the Lord understands. He works on the weekends too."

The doorbell rang and Ashley brought Wilden in. Hanna was very confused.

"Look who stopped by for dinner." She remarked. "Sean, I think it's time for you to go home."

Ali was having dinner with her father Dr. Kenneth DiLaurentis. They were going to be meeting Jason and Wren. Her father was often intense but she was a daddy's girl, so he had a soft spot for her.

"So how is school going?" Kenneth asked. "Are people still teasing you?"

"No, Daddy." She answered. "I've actually started hanging out with Aria, Emily, and Hanna again."

"That's good." Kenneth replied. "I do think that being apart from them may have contributed to some of the stuff that you went through."

Ali suddenly felt uncomfortable. She noticed Aria had walked in and decided to go talk to her.

"Hey." She greeted. "I was going to email you. I know you were trying to be nice, but sitting with Jenna was just really awkward."

"I agree." Aria responded. "It kind of broke the awkward meter."

At that time, Jason and Wren walked in.

"So, is that the new roommate?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, he's from England. Pretty much perfect in every way." Ali told her. "I better get back."

Aria picked up her food and Ali went back to her table.

"Can I get anyone a drink?" The waiter asked as she took her seat.

"I'll have a mojito." Ali answered.

"She's kidding." Kenneth replied. "I'll have some chardonnay."

"I've get the same." Jason added. "You said nothing about wine."

"I think I will get a mojito and a water." Wren replied.

Samara was setting up her stuff in Emily's room.

"So what did Alison mean when she said that she wanted to increase her social standing?" Samara asked.

"Alison used to be the most popular girl in school." Emily explained. "Then Spencer disappeared and the police investigated her as a suspect. She was cleared, but her reputation took a huge hit. She was bullied. It was kind of karmic considering that she was a bit of a bully, but I still felt bad for her."

"Well I know a thing or two about being bullied." Samara admitted. "It came hard when I first came out but then people got used to it. It really does get better. I mean my ex-girlfriend was one of the people that bully me, but most of the time, bullies just have issues. I just hoped that she learned from it."

"I'm pretty sure she did." Emily said.

"So do you have a side…of the bed that is?" Samara asked.

"I like to sleep in the middle." Emily answered.

"You're not uncomfortable sleeping with me, are you?" Samara asked. "Because I brought a sleeping bag…"

"Samara, I don't have a problem with it." Emily told her.

At the restaurant, the drinks had arrived

"So Jason, how are classes going for you?" Kenneth asked. Jason wasn't the age of the standard college senior. He had to take some time off for rehab. It was quite a year in the DiLaurentis house. While he and his son were distracted, Wren let Ali sneak a sip of his drink from him.

That night as Emily slept, she couldn't help but feel Samara's arm wrap around her. Maybe it was a force of habit for the girl. It was a little uncomfortable but felt good at the same time. Her phone went off and she got up to get it.

"_Did you give her a goodnight kiss?- S" _It read.

In the morning, Hanna woke up to find her mother cooking breakfast. If that didn't surprise her enough, Wilden was in the kitchen. Hanna was definitely not comfortable with her mother dating the cop that was investigating her friend's murder, even if it made her shoplifting arrest go away.

Ben was giving Emily and Samara a ride to school.

"So did you get much sleep?" He teased.

"Good girls don't kiss and tell." Samara played along. "I really slept like a baby last night."

Samara then got out and Emily glared at him.

"What? We were just messing around." Ben replied. "I know you're not gay."

She pulled him into a kiss and then broke apart.

"Now I know you're not gay." He joked. Hanna met her as got out and the two walked into school together. Apparently a few guys were impressed by the make out session.

After school, Aria was at the movie theater. They were playing a showing of _It Happened One Night. _

"Aria." Ezra greeted her.

"Hey Mr. Fitz." She greeted him in surprise as Ella walked out. "Hi, this is my mom, Ella."

"Oh, Mr. Fitz, the new English teacher." Ella said as she shook his hand.

"Yes it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Montgomery." Ezra told her.

"Please call me Ella." She corrected. "We're a very informal family."

"I see." He replied, chuckling nervously.

"Are you going to see the movie?" Ella then asked him.

"Yes, it's one of my favorites." He answered.

"Oh, Aria's too." Ella commented. "She's told us a lot about you. Although, she forgot to mention your age."

"We should get going." Aria interrupted. "The movie's starting."

"And you forgot to mention the really cute part." Ella whispered as they walked inside.

The theatre was relatively empty. Classic movies didn't get the fanfare that new ones did. Ella invited Ezra to sit with them, which made both him and Aria uncomfortable.

Ali was doing her homework. Her neck was still stiff. She wasn't used to the injuries that come with playing sports. Wren was doing his laundry.

"Is your neck still sore?" He asked.

"No, it's fine." She replied. She didn't want her parents to find him rubbing her neck because they might see it.

"You're up late." He noted.

"Well I have a test on Monday." She pointed out. "I'm kind of the smart one now."

"You know, I think you've been through a lot more than a girl your age should." He commented. "But I admire you for how you try to put it in the past and won't let it hold you back. It makes you a strong person."

"Thank you." She told him.

"Will you hold still for a moment?" He asked. The two began to kiss each other. Jason was walking by at the time.

"We can't do this." Ali said. "You're my brother's roommate and 23."

In the morning, she went to breakfast to find Jason at the table.

"Wren's not going to be staying here." Jason explained. "In fact, we're not going to be living together anymore."

"Why not?" Alison asked.

"We just weren't a good match." Jason replied. She then realized that he must have seen the two of them kissing. That wasn't good.

Hanna was in the parking lot to the mall with Mona when she spotted Wilden.

"Relax, you paid for these." Mona told her.

"I'll catch up." She said to Mona as she went over to Wilden. "Are you spying on me? I'll pay for the sunglasses and even pick up trash if you leave my mom alone."

"Hanna, I don't care if you girls were drinking that night." Wilden replied. "What I do care about is you girls knowing who killed your friend. Your mom may be hot, but she is not my goal here. That's finding Spencer's murderer."

Later in the afternoon, it was pouring rain. Ezra noticing Aria walking alone and gave her a ride home, but before stopping so they could make out first.

"We need to talk." Byron told her as she walked in. She stopped. Did they know? "You're not very good at hiding your feelings and your mother knows that something is up. Look Aria, I don't like to lie, but we need to let go of what happened."

"Are you seeing her again?" Aria asked, thankful he wasn't talking about her.

"She's begun teaching there." Byron answered. "So I do see her."

Mike and Ella then came in with Chinese, including her tofu. They looked happy and so was she until she got a message.

"_The thing about secrets is the longer they're kept the more people get hurt-S." _The message replied.

I'm thinking about having Emily and Samara hook up before she and Maya did. I'm also thinking of continuing Ali and Wren, though she'll probably date Noel in the future and definitely won't be with Toby. So anyway please don't forget to review.


	4. To Kill A Mocking Girl

The girls walked through the woods.

"Whose idea was this anyway?" Hanna asked.

"Emily's mom." Aria answered.

"The shed was my idea." Emily argued. "She just said that we need honor Spencer's memory."

"Well can't be somewhere without mosquitos?" Hanna questioned.

"They're not mosquitos, they're gnats." Aria clarified.

"Well whatever they, they're flying up my nose." Hanna remarked.

"I guess even insects want a piece of you now, Han." Ali joked. "We're close I can tell by that tree."

"How do you know?" Aria asked "Have you been here lately?"

"No." Ali denied.

"We went there all the time in 8th grade." Hanna responded. "It's not weird to memorize the path."

"I think this is bad idea." Alison stated. "We're making it look like we have something to hide. I don't want that creepy cop to think we have something to hide."

Hanna said nothing and started to walk before.

"Why are you so quiet, Han?" Aria asked.

"I want to keep the bugs out of my mouth." Hanna lied.

"You're allowed to have an opinion." Emily told her.

"Well I think that we should hold off any of this until we're completely sure that she's not still here." Hanna replied.

"You think she's still alive?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"They found her body." Ali pointed out.

"Stop!" Hanna interrupted. "You asked for my opinion and I gave it. I don't believe that she's really dead."

"We went to her funeral." Aria reminded her.

"And when we left, we all got a text from her." Hanna countered.

"Someone is messing with us." Emily declared.

"How do you know that it's not her?" Hanna questioned. "How this S know stuff that only Spencer knew?"

"Have any of you got any more messages?" Emily asked before they heard a branch crack. "What was that?"

"Is anyone there?" Hanna asked.

"It has to be a rabbit." Ali suggested. "It won't answer you."

Suddenly all four of their phones went off.

"_Be verwy, verwy quiet. I'm hunting wiars- S"_ The message read.

"Come out and face us!" Alison yelled, but no one did.

They all headed back, never making to the shed. Hanna went home to find Wilden in her kitchen a towel.

"Morning." He greeted her while inspecting some whipped cream.

"Where's my mother?" Hanna asked in disgust. She never thought that seeing a hot guy wearing nothing but a towel would be so repulsive to her, but Officer Douchebag had made it happen.

"She's upstairs." Wilden answered. "I'm trying to figure out what makes this stuff spreadable. Can I get you a waffle?"

"No." Hanna refused.

Ashley then came down the stairs.

"Why don't you put some clothes on and I'll take care of breakfast?" Ashley suggested. He kissed her cheek and left the kitchen.

"So does he live here now?" Hanna asked sardonically.

"Can you get the milk?" Her mother responded, ignoring the question.

"Is this a permanent thing?" Hanna questioned. "It was one pair of sunglasses and they were last season."

"Until he makes your little shopping spree go away, we're not kicking anyone out." Ashley replied. "The last thing we want is an enemy on the police force."

"Well I am not going to buy him a father's day card." Hanna stated.

Unbeknownst to them, Wilden was listening to their conversation.

At a café, Aria was with her parents while reading her book.

"You're pretty far into it." Byron told her.

"Yeah, I've got like 60 pages left and I don't want it to end." Aria responded.

"You should read her biography next." He suggested. "It's a great one."

"Your father worshipping becomes a clearer." Ella commented.

"I would worship both of you a lot more if you got me one of these." Aria stated as she finished her plate.

"We'll split it." Ella replied as she got up. "Make sure you father doesn't drink all of my coffee."

"Do you like your teacher?" Byron asked.

"What?" Aria asked in shock.

"Your English teacher: do you like him?" Byron clarified.

"Oh yeah." Aria answered as she realized he wasn't talking romantically. "He's okay."

"What's his name?" Byron questioned.

"Mr. Fitz." The teenager answered. She wanted to desperately change the subject. "Hey maybe I'll check out that biography at school. What's it called?"

"I've got it in my office at work. I'll bring it home it might inspire you."

"Byron" A voice called out to him as she walked over. Aria was terrified when she realized who it was.

"Hey." Byron greeted her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." The woman said.

"No it's alright." Byron stated. "Aria, this is Meredith Sorenson. She also works in the department: my department. And this is Aria, my daughter."

"We met a little while back." Meredith responded. "She came by your office one day when I was still a student. Did you get my message?"

"I just haven't had the chance to call you back yet." Byron replied. Aria desperately wanted to get away from the conversation.

"So how does it feel to be home?" Meredith asked Aria. "This town must feel a little dull after spending a whole year overseas."

"Not really." The brunette replied.

She then walked away.

"Why can't she graduate?" Aria asked.

"She has." Byron answered. "She's a teaching assistant now. Not mine, but I can't pretend that she doesn't exist. Her office is just across the hall from me."

"So what exactly happened between you and Wren?" Jessica DiLaurentis asked Jason as Ali walked into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway so they wouldn't notice her.

"I don't want to talk about it." Jason remarked. Ali was actually grateful that he didn't say the reason why because her parents would flip if they knew

"Morning." Alison remarked as she entered the kitchen. Jason shot her a dirty look. "So how is the search for the new roommate going?"

"I haven't started yet." Jason admitted. "I may just end up staying here for a little while and let him have the apartment."

"Well maybe I could go and pick up your things after school if you don't want to see him." She offered.

"That's a great idea." Jessica stated as she gave Alison the keys to her car.

Hanna was once again with Mona. Mona was sampling Hanna's various lipsticks.

"You really should have brought more of this." Mona stated.

"Well I only have two hands." Hanna replied. "Keep it."

At that time, Sean walked up with his friend Noel Kahn.

"So, Noel's parents are going to be out of town tomorrow night." Sean stated.

"It's going to be the party of the year." Noel added.

Emily was locking her bike up when Samara walked up to her.

"You know I could have given you a ride." Samara said. "My jeep finally got here."

Before Emily could respond, she was ambushed by Ben.

"So did you guys here about Noel's cabin party tomorrow night?" Ben asked.

"I take it that he's the big man on campus." Samara stayed. "Are you sure that I'm welcome?"

"I'm pretty sure that it's only the gay dudes that aren't welcome." Ben answered.

"Well that was kind of insensitive." Emily commented. "You should come with us."

Inside the school, Aria passed Ezra in the hallway. She blushed as she did before going to Ali's locker. She noticed that Ali was at her locker and her books fell out, but she also noticed something on the floor.

"You drove here today." Aria said as she handed Alison the keys.

"I have to pick some things for Jason after school." Ali replied. "He and his roommate broke up."

Before Aria could respond, they noticed Jenna being led by Toby. Alison was so terrified that she could have wet herself. Hanna stood beside them, also looking creeped out.

"Who is that?" Samara asked.

"That is Toby Cavanagh. He used to go here." Emily explained. "He spent the last year in reform school."

"I need more than that." Samara replied hungry for some gossip.

"He set fire to a garage." Emily stated as she looked at her friends. "His stepsister was in it."

In between classes, Aria made her way into Ezra's room.

"Hi." She greeted him.

"Are you here to talk about the homework assignment?" He asked.

"No I'm wondering if you had plans this weekend." She asked.

"I think you should ask about the homework assignment." He stated.

"So you do have plans." She remarked.

"No." He told her.

"Then do you want to come to this art gala that my mom is hosting on Friday?" She asked.

"I don't think hanging out with your parents is good for us." Ezra replied.

"Well then we can meet up after." She offered. "I'll tell my parents that I'm going to Noel Kahn's party."

"I think you should go to the party." Ezra suggested. "I don't want your peers to think you've lost interest in them."

"Too late." She told him as she touched her hand to his. Suddenly the door opened and she pulled it back like he was on fire. Another teacher walked in and she walked out quickly.

After school, Ali made her way to Philadelphia where Wren apartment that Jason had lived in was. She did have a key, but was surprised to find Wren there.

"I came to get my brother's things." She told the Brit.

"Is that the only reason that you're here?" He asked her as he touched her hand.

"Stop that." She ordered. "Well I do have something that I want to say. I think my friend is dating our teacher."

"That's an odd thing to say." Wren commented.

"Well I needed to tell someone and you're the only person that I can tell that really doesn't care." Ali admitted. He shrugged. "Wren, I shouldn't feel this way. You're not the first of Jason's friendships that I've ruined."

"Well it would be easier for us to be together if I wasn't his roommate." Wren suggested. "That kiss was not one-sided after all."

"I really just need to get Jason's things and go." She suggested. He then pulled her into a kiss. "Okay…we can date, but no one finds out. My father will kill you if he does."

Emily was at school after swim practice in the locker room. She was alone and preparing to change. She heard a door open and was scared like she would be if she was in a horror movie. She then realized it was just Ben.

"How did you get in here?" She asked.

"I just walked in." Ben stated.

"If anyone catches you…" She trailed off.

"I'll take my chances." He remarked. "Besides we need some alone time."

"I need to get dressed." She told him nervously as he pushed her against a locker.

"Why bother?" He asked.

"We can't do this my mom is expecting me." Emily argued.

"You were all over me last week." Ben told her. "I'm getting mixed signals. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I've just got a lot on my mind." Emily answered as she tried to leave.

"Maybe you need to relax." Ben suggested as he stopped her and tried to kiss her.

"Ben, stop." She ordered. She struggled a little before Samara came and pushed him against a locker.

"She said stop!" The blonde replied.

"So this is it?" Ben asked. "You're with this dyke now? I should have known."

"Unless you want everyone in this school to know that you got beat up by a girl, you won't use that word again." Samara threatened.

"Ben, we're over." Emily stated.

The next day, Aria went to the gallery to see her mom and was shocked to see Meredith there. Apparently the blonde was showing up at the event. Aria tried to threaten her and tell her that her dad wasn't available, but Meredith didn't seem to care.

That night, Hanna was preparing for the party.

"So how are you getting home?" Ashley asked. "If there is drinking, I'll take you home myself."

"I could give you a ride in the squad car." Wilden offered humorously. Well it was humorous to him.

Inside the party, Sean was a little preoccupied with Noel and the foosball table, which made Hanna unhappy.

Emily walked in after getting a ride in Samara's Jeep.

"Okay, I know that your boyfriend tried to rape you, but this is a party." Samara stated. "You should try to have fun. Look on the bright side. At least, you got to see me be badass."

That actually did make Emily smile and laugh as Samara flexed her arm.

"Hey Em." Hanna greeted. Ben saw her with Samara and looked frightened.

"So, you uh…decided to come after all." Ben stammered.

"Yeah, just not with you." Emily replied as she and Samara walked through the house.

"I got him good." Samara smirked.

Alison was in Philadelphia. She stood outside of Wren's door. She still wasn't sure if she should do it. She could be at Noel Kahn's party. She would be welcome there because Noel was one of the only ones who spoke to her during her exile. She sighed and opened the door. It was just pizza and a movie. She could handle it.

"Hi." Wren greeted her.

"Look, there's something that you must know about me." Ali started. "I've never had an actual boyfriend before. I've fooled around with some guys, but I've never been in a relationship."

"Alright, well I'll tell you I haven't dated on this side of the pond." Wren replied. "We're in this together."

At the party, Hanna finally got Sean alone.

"What made you come up here?" He asked.

"I had some time to kill while you were foosballing." She replied.

"Hey I was on a roll." Sean argued as she pulled him close.

"I thought you liked contact sports." Hanna replied before they proceeded to head into a make out session.

Meanwhile, Emily went into the photo booth with Samara. They took a few humorous shots before Samara pulled Emily into a kiss. Someone grabbed them before the girls came out.

"Where are the pictures?" Emily asked.

"I bet they ran out of paper." Samara suggested.

Hanna was on top of Sean with her dress half off as she reached into her purse.

"What are you getting?" He asked nervously.

"This." Hanna replied as she showed him a condom. "I figured that we would need it"

"Hanna, I don't wanna do this here." Sean told her.

"Then where?" She asked. "I can't afford to go to Paris."

"It's not about where, Hanna." He explained.

"Then what?" She asked. "Is it about me? Why isn't this happening and don't start quoting scriptures."

"Why are you acting like this?" Sean asked in confusion. "Why are you acting like you have something to prove?"

"Maybe because you still think that I'm the fat junior high girl that followed you everywhere like some groupie." Hanna replied in tears. "What can I do Sean? What can I do?"

"I liked that girl, but this seems…desperate." He remarked.

"Any guy at this party would love to be with me." Hanna said. "Why aren't you?"

"We talked about this, Hanna." He reminded her.

At the gala, Aria was shocked when Meredith walked in.

"What are you doing here? We talked about this." Aria declared.

"You talked. I listened." Meredith corrected.

"You need to go. You shouldn't be here." Aria responded.

"Listen, Sweetie, I'm not in high school. You don't have any power over me." Meredith reminded her.

Hanna walked downstairs to find Sean was unsurprisingly playing foosball again. She got a text and opened it.

"_Hmm Hefty Hanna might not do. I bet he thinks you're Hanna the Harlot- S." _It read. Hanna wanted to strangle whoever sent the text. She then reached into Sean's jacket and took his keys before she drove off.

Aria went to Ezra's apartment. She stood outside of his door just like Ali had with Wren. She knocked and he opened it, noticing her sad face. She looked like someone had just stolen her favorite puppy.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "I thought that you were going to be helping out at the gallery."

"I was." She stated. "Can I come in?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Ezra replied.

"You're right. I shouldn't have come here." She agreed as she began to walk away.

"Wait." He replied as she stopped. "Are you okay? Do you need me to drive you home?"

"That's the last place I want to be." Aria told him.

"What happened?" He asked in concern.

"Can we just be here for a minute?" She requested before he pulled into a hug as she cried into his chest.

Later in the night, Hanna got out of Sean's wrecked car and Emily got a ride home from Samara. After her friend had left, she couldn't help but notice Toby was across the street with his motorcycle.

The next morning, the four girls met in the woods.

"So I may have blackmailed Toby into letting us get off." Alison admitted.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"It wasn't one of my finest moments." Alison replied. "But this is something that you girls really don't want to know. I don't even want to know it. It makes me want to throw up."

"Okay you don't have to tell us now, but you're going to have to eventually." Aria replied.

Elsewhere, a figured was printing something before revealing about a hundred copies of the pictures of Emily and Samara kissing.

So I had Samara rescue Emily. I will still have Emily become friends with Toby, but it will be different. I'm also gong to have Alison follow different storylines than Spencer as you can telling by her dating Wren. Please don't forget to review


	5. Can You Hear Me Now

Hanna stood up the doorway as her mom was talking to a police officer who wasn't Wilden. After she was done, she looked at her daughter in ire.

"I never want to see another police car in front of this house." Ashley remarked. "I thought we were done with all of that."

"Mom, I didn't total his car. They can fix it." Hanna replied.

"There is nothing I can do about this. Do you understand me?" Ashley asked angrily as she went into the house.

From there, the four girls went to the old bench that they always used to go to.

"So how badly did your mom bust you over wrecking Sean's car?" Emily asked.

"I didn't wreck it. I just roughed it up. It's not like I went all Carrie Underwood on it." Hanna responded.

"So, the town is going to put in a new bench." Aria explained, changing the subject. "And we'll plant some flowers. And we'll put in some art tiles."

"Art tiles?" Ali asked. "What the fuck are art tiles?"

"You know messages, pictures, whatever we can to remember Spencer." Emily explained.

"Like little headstones." Hanna replied. The other girls shot her a dirty look.

"We should each do a tile." Emily suggested.

"You know I've been thinking." Ali cut in. "There's nothing this S can do to get us in trouble without getting trouble for herself."

"Are you sure it's a her and not some weirdo?" Hanna asked.

"I don't care if it's a hermaphroditic dog." Ali snapped. "We are not going to let someone push us around. We need to find out who this person is."

At that time, Hanna noticed Ezra was biking by.

"I spy with my little eye, something that begins with F." She commented. Aria blushed and Alison took note of it.

"Hey Mr. Fitz." Emily waved.

"It's so nice to have a hot teacher." Hanna commented.

"I need to talk to you later." Ali whispered into Aria's ear. She then looked at Emily. "So did you and Ben make up?"

"No, it's over for good this time." Emily remarked. "We're done."

"So do we have any ideas who S might be?" Ali asked.

"Well it's not like you didn't make your share of enemies for us." Aria commented. "Sorry."

"Why don't we start with someone close to Spencer? Do you think that she might have told Melissa about the Jenna thing?" Emily questioned.

"No, Melissa would probably rat us out." Ali commented. "Do you think it could be Jenna? I mean if I saw her, she could have seen me."

"She had a concussion as well." Aria stated. "She probably wouldn't remember if she did."

"Aria's right, it could be anyone." Emily stated. "I mean I don't think we have enough clues to figure this out."

Monday, at school, Emily came across Samara at the school.

"I made you something." The blonde told her as she pulled out a box. Emily opened it to a pair of earrings.

"Wow." Emily commented. "You made these?"

"Yeah, I am an amateur jewelry designer." Samara stated as Emily put them in. "They look hot."

"Thanks." Emily replied uneasily.

"I have class, but I will see you." Samara replied as she gave Emily a hug. She then walked off and Emily went to meet her friends in the cafeteria.

"Are those new earrings?" Hanna asked.

"No." Emily lied, not sure if it was weird. Hanna's phone suddenly began to ring.

"It's my dad." She declared as she walked off to take the call.

As they were exiting the cafeteria, Emily almost bumped into Toby.

"I wonder if we just bumped into A." Aria whispered.

"Toby has a motive, but up until Spencer's funeral, he was in reform school." Ali reminded them. "We started getting messages before that."

Emily walked in the direction of her class and Ali pulled Aria off.

"Okay, we seriously need to talk." She mentioned. "Look I get it, older men are sophisticated and all, but I don't think what you're doing is a good idea."

"How did you find out?" Aria asked in horror.

"I saw you in the classroom, holding his hand. Don't worry. I was the only one who saw you." Ali assured. "I don't think this is a good idea…but if I told you to break up with him, I would be a hypocrite."

"What are you saying?" Aria questioned.

"Jason's roommate, the doctor, and I are…together." Alison admitted. "It happened when he was staying over. He turns me on so much. I can't resist him. So my only advice to you is be careful."

The two hugged.

"You know if someone told you'd be with an older guy, I'd think it was my brother." Ali replied. "You know that he used to have a crush on you."

"I think I'm kind of freaked out now." Aria stated.

Later in the day, Hanna was kind of gushing about how her father was coming to see her.

"Do you think that he's out here because of the thing with Sean's car?" Emily inquired.

"No I asked." Hanna replied. "Besides, even if he was, at least he's still coming to see me."

Emily walked into her lab and noticed the room was empty…except for Toby. They exchanged hellos.

"Are you going to be in this lab?" She asked him nervously. She hoped that he would say no.

"Starting today." He answered showing off a paper.

Once class started, to her horror, he was her lab partner. Emily opened her book and even more to her horror, there were the pictures of her and Samara kissing.

After school, Aria went home to tell her mom that she wouldn't be home for dinner.

"Alison and I are going out tonight." She explained. They had decided that they would be each other's covers for the time being. Each of them was on good-enough terms with their parents that they would believe it. "I think you and Dad could use a meal to yourselves."

That night, Ali and Hanna were preparing for their night. Ali was going to restaurant with Wren in Philadelphia.

"So who's the hot date?" Hanna asked.

"I never said that I was going on a date." Ali stammered. "So are you really excited to see your dad? Try this on."

"I know that you're trying to cover something up." Hanna replied.

"I'm seeing a counselor." Ali lied. "Last year, I used to cut myself. I don't want to talk about it."

She wasn't lying when she said that. She did cut herself. She just wasn't seeing a counselor.

"My dad hasn't seen me since I lost the weight." Hanna commented as she tried on her jacket.

"Hanna, are you still..." Ali asked, not knowing how to phrase it. "Because there was this anorexic girl in Radley, and it was one of the scariest things I've ever seen."

"No." Hanna replied. "I'm fine. I'm thin. I'm beautiful. That's what my mom told me when she found out."

Emily stopped by Samara's house and after the blonde let her in, she showed the pictures.

"You found them." Samara said. She looked happy, much happier than Emily. "Where were they?"

"In my Chemistry book." Emily replied. "Did you put them there?"

"No. Why do you look so freaked out?" Samara asked.

"Someone saw these, Samara." Emily stated.

"So? People kiss in photo booths all the time, we were tipsy. It's no big deal." The blonde reasoned. "Kissing me in a photo booth doesn't make you gay."

In the Marin house, Hanna was waiting for her father to arrive. When he did, he gave her a hug.

"God, there's barely enough left of you to hug." He joked.

"I missed you." She said with a smile. "Let me get my bag."

They went outside.

"It's a new car, so I hope you don't mind if I drive." He told her as she stopped in her tracks.

"This is about Sean's car." She remarked. "Did you come to yell at you?"

"I didn't come to yell at you." He responded. "I came back to help you through a rough spot. You're a good girl, Hanna. You've always been a good girl, but you can get a little…overenthusiastic. I remember you loved climbing trees, but you sometimes needed help getting back down. So right now, I'm here to help you get back down. Now if you want to go to dinner or the shooting gallery or anywhere we can do that."

Aria looked around Ezra apartment. She couldn't help but notice that it looked kind of nice for someone on a teacher's salary. One thing that stood out to her was an old typewriter.

"Do you use this?" She asked with a laugh.

"As a paperweight." He answered cheekily. "Mostly it's to remind myself that there weren't always computers and it's easier to move than a printing press. What do you think?"

"It's nice." She told him. "I like it. It's very you."

"So, how are things at home?" He asked.

"Fine." She answered as she took a seat on his couch. My mom and dad are having a date night."

"Maybe they're working things out." He suggested.

"They can have all the alone time in the world, but as soon as she finds out, I don't know what's going to happen."

"Aria, has it ever occurred to you that maybe your mom knows more about it than you think?" Ezra remarked.

"No, she doesn't know anything about it. That's what makes it so hard." Aria explained, wondering why he would ask that.

"Well it's possible that your parents have come to sort of understanding that you don't know about." He replied.

"No, it's not possible." She denied. "What do you mean an understanding?"

"When I was 12, my parents broke up. It threw me and my brother for a loop. They were both cheating, but they worked through their infidelity. Something else killed the marriage."

"But that's your family, not mine." She argued. He rolled his eyes. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm just saying that even though your dad put you in this situation, it's not your problem to fix." He told her.

"I'm trying to fix it. I'm trying to deal with it." She declared.

"But they are the ones who should be dealing with it." Ezra responded. "What you can't see now is that your parents need to figure it out for themselves, like adults."

"Like adults? Are you saying that I'm not mature enough to deal with this?" She questioned

"I didn't say that." He replied defensively.

"I think that's exactly what you said." She spat. "You were basically telling me that I am a child and I should mind my own business. Good to know you think so highly of me."1

"I guarantee you that's not what I said." He corrected.

"Well if I'm such a child, why did you ask me here?" She quizzed.

"I asked here because I don't see you as a child and that's why we need to figure out what's going on between us." He replied as he took a seat next to her.

"Okay just leave my parents out of it." Aria bargained.

"You came to me about your father, remember that?" He reminded her. From there she went and grabbed her purse and looked him in the eye.

"You know I think I made a mistake coming here." She stated. "I don't think it's something an adult would have done."

Alison was with Wren as she prepared to enter the restaurant, but as they neared a corner, she ducked away. She wasn't expecting Hanna and her father to come to the same restaurant.

"We can't eat here." She told him quickly.

"We have a reservation." Wren reminded her.

"Well I just saw my friend and her dad walk in. I know we're together, but I'm still kind of afraid of my friends finding out about us, and her dad too? This won't work." She explained.

Wren nodded. He went inside and cancelled the reservation while she waited in his car.

"Well I don't think we can get another one. How do you feel about McDonald's?" He asked. "I hear the McRib is back."

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, but I'm not going to kiss you with all of that sauce around your mouth." Ali replied.

The next day, Hanna was discussing her night with her dad.

"So we got dinner and then we went to Jolly Roger's." Hanna explained. "It was nice. I think we both had a really great time. We talked and I told him about what was going…with Sean I mean. Anyway, he wants to take me out again tonight. He says that he has something to tell me. Maybe I can look forward to summers in Maryland."

"That's great, Han." Ali remarked. She realized that she couldn't hold it against her for screwing with her plans, because she didn't mean to."

"Would you go?" Aria asked in surprise.

"I would move away, but I would like to see my dad more." Hanna explained as the bell rang and the four of them took their seats.

Once in class, Aria and Ezra got into what appeared to be a heated discussion about the book, but Ali could see the undertones. Once class was over, Aria walked out and Ali walked beside her.

"I take it last night did not go well." She commented. "So what was the fight about?"

"It's not something that I want to talk about right now." Aria told her. "How was your date?"

"Well it turned out to be less of a date than we hoped." Ali admitted. "But I can say that we had a good time. I think that you should try to work it out with him. I mean as interesting as that discussion was, I don't know if some of the other students liked it."

That night, Hanna was out with her father, in Rosewood.

"So I get you two nights in a row. Do you think Sean is jealous?" He asked.

"I haven't spoken to Sean since the party." She explained.

"Yeah, I was waiting for you to say something about that." He remarked. "What was the fight about?"

"It's not an easy thing for me to discuss with you." She answered. "I don't know if I should discuss it with you."

Hanna was then surprised to see that he apparently had a girlfriend, who had a daughter.

"Hanna, this is Isabel, my fiancée and this is her daughter Kate." He introduced. Hanna was shocked to say the least.

Aria made her way to Ezra's apartment. She knew that she needed to work things out and Ali was right, but she also needed to get something off her chest. She went into a rant about how wrong he was and he agreed.

At the DiLaurentis house, Ali was home alone. Her parents were with Jason at a university function. She then heard a pounding at her door. She opened it and found Wren.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him. "I thought we agreed that this was the one place that you wouldn't come."

"I came to give you this." He told her as he held out her anklet. She didn't notice that it came off.

"Thank you." She told him as she took it. "I'm sorry that I can't invite you in, but I really am looking out for you. Maybe after a little while, we can tell them and hope Jason doesn't tell them we kissed first."

"I'm sorry." He apologized. 'I could have waited or had you pick it up."

"I know this is crazy, but I told my friend about us: the one that's dating the teacher. Do you think it would be weird if we did a sort of double date?"

"I think that would be extremely weird." Wren commented. "Maybe I can meet your friends at some point, but I don't like the idea of double dates in general, not to mention that I think the scenario you came up would be the most awkward date of all time."

She kissed him quickly.

"Sorry I brought it up." She apologized before he left.

Elsewhere, Emily went to throw away the pictures of her kiss with Samara when she came across Toby.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"As okay as I can be taking out the trash." Emily answered.

"Look I'm sorry if me being your lab partner upsets you." Toby remarked.

"You didn't deserve what those idiots did to you." Emily told her.

"Well it's not something that I can do anything." Toby responded. 'Like you said, they're idiots and it's not worth changing how they think of me."

"The other day in Chemistry, there were some pictures in my book." Emily stated. "Did you see them before I closed my book?"

"I didn't think that you wanted anyone to see them." Toby said. "I'm cool with that. I only caught a glimpse of the first one."

The first one was not the kiss and Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you still swim?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." She answered.

"Do you do it because people are watching you or do you do it because you like to swim?" He asked. She felt that was a weird question.

"I do it because I like the way that makes me feel." She replied.

"Then forget about the idiots." He instructed. "They're going to see what they want to see. They don't want you to change. They want you to go away. I tried that and I didn't like it."

"So I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow." She told him.

"See you tomorrow." He told her.

At Ezra's, he and Aria were eating the leftovers from the dinner that they didn't have the night before

"You're lucky that I knew suspected that you would come back." He stated.

"I have something that I need to tell you." Aria stated. "You might not like it."

"What?" He asked.

"One of my friends knows about us: Alison DiLaurentis." She explained. He looked flat shocked. "I didn't tell her, but she caught us holding hands in your classroom. She's not going to tell anyone. She's not going to say anything about my relationship and I'm not going to say anything about hers."

"Okay." He declared. "I think that I need to talk to her."

"Please don't tell me that you're going to try to use your authority to get her to keep quiet." Aria responded.

"No…I just want to talk to her." He stated. "I want her to know that I know I kind of want her to know that I plan to treat you well. But I think we do need to discuss what happened."

"I think you're right." She declared. "I'm a fixer. I want to keep my family together. I'm afraid that things will change and my parents won't be able to work it out. I know the irony of this discussion, but he had an affair with one of his students. I can't comment on the morality of that, but he's married."

"It's human nature to want to hold onto things." He explained.

"I don't think I can fix this." She stated. "I think that I need to tell my mom and let what happens happen. That means that I have to go because I want to go tell her right now. She has to know."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked.

"I am." Aria replied.

Instead of walking home, Emily walked over to Samara's. The blonde answered the door, a little confused by the late night visit. She felt lucky that her parents were asleep.

"Samara, I think that I might like you." Emily declared. "I think I might like you as more than a friend, but I'm not sure."

"How do know how you're going to become sure?" Samara asked.

Emily then slammed her lips against Samara's.

Aria went home to find her mother reading a letter.

"Mom, I have to tell you something." She remarked. "It's important. There's something that you should know."

Ella didn't say anything. She just got up and handed Aria the letter. It was basically what she was going to say and it was signed by A.

The girls then met to hear that A had made a radio dedication to her.

"Wait." Ali remarked. "It said to my best friend Hanna, right?"

"Yeah..." Hanna answered, not seeing where she was going.

"What if A is Mona?" Ali asked.

Okay, so I know that I changed the plot of this episode, but I think Ali would be more interested in finding out who A was than try to avoid her. Also she found out about Aria and Ezra. Please don't forget to review


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